The Cook's Tale Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCCDEFGHHIHHJKLMMN OHHHHPPQQRJ SOOOTHOHL U HHVUUULLHHKKHWXYZHHH A2B2UXC2LLLLOUJLD2 HHHHHHHHHHOHD2D2LE2H HULHHD2F2THE Cook of London while the Reeve thus spake | A |
For joy he laugh'd and clapp'd him on the back | B |
'Aha ' quoth he 'for Christes passion | C |
This Miller had a sharp conclusion | C |
Upon this argument of herbergage lodging | D |
Well saide Solomon in his language | E |
Bring thou not every man into thine house | F |
For harbouring by night is perilous | G |
Well ought a man avised for to be a man should take good heed | H |
Whom that he brought into his privity | H |
I pray to God to give me sorrow and care | I |
If ever since I highte Hodge of Ware was called | H |
Heard I a miller better set a work handled | H |
He had a jape of malice in the derk trick | J |
But God forbid that we should stinte here stop | K |
And therefore if ye will vouchsafe to hear | L |
A tale of me that am a poore man | M |
I will you tell as well as e'er I can | M |
A little jape that fell in our city ' | N |
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Our Host answer'd and said 'I grant it thee | O |
Roger tell on and look that it be good | H |
For many a pasty hast thou letten blood | H |
And many a Jack of Dover lt gt hast thou sold | H |
That had been twice hot and twice cold | H |
Of many a pilgrim hast thou Christe's curse | P |
For of thy parsley yet fare they the worse | P |
That they have eaten in thy stubble goose | Q |
For in thy shop doth many a fly go loose | Q |
Now tell on gentle Roger by thy name | R |
But yet I pray thee be not wroth for game angry with my jesting | J |
A man may say full sooth in game and play ' | - |
'Thou sayst full sooth ' quoth Roger 'by my fay | S |
But sooth play quad play lt gt as the Fleming saith | O |
And therefore Harry Bailly by thy faith | O |
Be thou not wroth else we departe here part company | O |
Though that my tale be of an hostelere innkeeper | T |
But natheless I will not tell it yet | H |
But ere we part y wis thou shalt be quit ' lt gt assuredly | O |
And therewithal he laugh'd and made cheer lt gt | H |
And told his tale as ye shall after hear | L |
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THE TALE | U |
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A prentice whilom dwelt in our city | H |
And of a craft of victuallers was he | H |
Galliard he was as goldfinch in the shaw lively grove | V |
Brown as a berry a proper short fellaw | U |
With lockes black combed full fetisly daintily | U |
And dance he could so well and jollily | U |
That he was called Perkin Revellour | L |
He was as full of love and paramour | L |
As is the honeycomb of honey sweet | H |
Well was the wenche that with him might meet | H |
At every bridal would he sing and hop | K |
He better lov'd the tavern than the shop | K |
For when there any riding was in Cheap lt gt | H |
Out of the shoppe thither would he leap | W |
And till that he had all the sight y seen | X |
And danced well he would not come again | Y |
And gather'd him a meinie of his sort company of fellows | Z |
To hop and sing and make such disport | H |
And there they sette steven for to meet made appointment | H |
To playen at the dice in such a street | H |
For in the towne was there no prentice | A2 |
That fairer coulde cast a pair of dice | B2 |
Than Perkin could and thereto he was free he spent money liberally | U |
Of his dispence in place of privity where he would not be seen | X |
That found his master well in his chaffare merchandise | C2 |
For oftentime he found his box full bare | L |
For soothely a prentice revellour | L |
That haunteth dice riot and paramour | L |
His master shall it in his shop abie suffer for | L |
All have he no part of the minstrelsy although | O |
For theft and riot they be convertible | U |
All can they play on gitern or ribible guitar or rebeck | J |
Revel and truth as in a low degree | L |
They be full wroth all day as men may see at variance | D2 |
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This jolly prentice with his master bode | H |
Till he was nigh out of his prenticehood | H |
All were he snubbed both early and late rebuked | H |
And sometimes led with revel to Newgate | H |
But at the last his master him bethought | H |
Upon a day when he his paper lt gt sought | H |
Of a proverb that saith this same word | H |
Better is rotten apple out of hoard | H |
Than that it should rot all the remenant | H |
So fares it by a riotous servant | H |
It is well lesse harm to let him pace pass go | O |
Than he shend all the servants in the place corrupt | H |
Therefore his master gave him a quittance | D2 |
And bade him go with sorrow and mischance | D2 |
And thus this jolly prentice had his leve desire | L |
Now let him riot all the night or leave refrain | E2 |
And for there is no thief without a louke lt gt | H |
That helpeth him to wasten and to souk spend | H |
Of that he bribe can or borrow may steal | U |
Anon he sent his bed and his array | L |
Unto a compere of his owen sort comrade | H |
That loved dice and riot and disport | H |
And had a wife that held for countenance for appearances | D2 |
A shop and swived for her sustenance prostituted herself | F2 |
Geoffrey Chaucer
(1)
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